When you want to increase your productivity, sometimes it's best to do nothing. In certain situations, you can actually sabotage your productivity by acting.

Productivity blog 99u says to avoid doing anything big when you're angry, paranoid, anxious, tired, or when you want to be liked. I think we can all relate to trying to get things done when we're tired:

Do nothing when you're tired. I was trying to figure out something on the computer the other day. It was both very technical and related to money. First it was 1 p.m. Then it was 6 p.m. Then, against all my rules for a "daily practice," it was midnight. And I was no closer to figuring it out. I was tired. My eyes were blurry. I was taking ten-second naps on my computer. A week later I still haven't figured out what I needed to figure out. But right then, because I had invested this time into my "learning" and I was tired, I wanted to keep going. My wife Claudia peeled me off the keyboard and marched me upstairs. Sleep hygiene is the best way to improve productivity in your life. Not beating your head against a computer.

The whole article is interesting, so give it a read at the link below.